John Henry Bailey Sr.

John attended school in Fairfax County. He later joined the U.S. Army in 1953 and served until 1956.

Soon after returning home from the Army, John met Marguerite Murphy and they married on June 18, 1958. John and Marguerite had many similar interests yet were different in so many ways. They both loved riding motorcycles and when John would race cars on the dragstrip in Manassas, VA, Marguerite was there as often as possible. As a father, John continued taking trips to the track, now with his wife and children watching. He anxiously anticipated the family’s annual summer vacations, especially the trips to the beach. As a husband, John enjoyed bowling with his wife and going on motorcycle trips to places like the Natural Bridge, Tennessee, and Pennsylvania.

John had a very exciting and successful career as a maintenance supervisor at Bowl America in Falls Church, VA. Not only did he manage and coordinate the maintenance and repair work for multiple franchise locations in Northern Virginia, he also helped install new bowling alleys in different locations around the country. He once spent a summer in Jacksonville, FL opening a new location and ensuring that all equipment was properly installed. He also invented a mobile bowling lane for Bowl America that the company used to introduce bowling to different companies and schools in the area.

As a man of faith with a servant heart, John joined Dunn Loring Community Church of God after dedicating his life to Christ while on a missionary trip to Haiti in 1985. He was baptized by the late Pastor Jennings B. Wood. John was a dedicated member of the church and took over the overall church maintenance, including their vehicle fleet and operating their garage.

John loved to exercise, particularly walking/jogging/running. He joined many races, including one with ex-President Jimmy Carter. The President did not finish the race, but John did and would always laugh about how he outran the President!

He made the most of his life and cherished relationships that he developed throughout the years. He held special relationships with each of his siblings, cousins, aunts, and uncles. He also had a strong bond with his son-in-law, Anthony Tutt. They bowled and rode motorcycles together, played pool, watched football, and enjoyed fishing! John took a memorable fishing trip with his grandson, Brandon Friloux, and Anthony to Florida that he would often talk about. He enjoyed making memories with those he loved.

John meant so much to so many. He was honest and trustworthy - his word was his bond and he lived that. He was a dedicated worker - both on the job, at church, and in supporting his family. He was the best father in the world - always willing to offer his children assistance even when his kids were grown and on their own. He was a comedian - between his jokes, voice imitations, hiding in the house to scare his kids, he was always filled with laughter. Most importantly, he was and is a child of God. May he rest in peace forever.

John is preceded in death by his wife, Marguerite Bailey; father, Cornelius “Neil” Bailey; mother, Cora Newman Bailey; mother-in-law, Virginia Bowles Murphy; brother, Andrew Bailey; brother, Thomas “Tommy” Bailey; and sister-in-law, Margaret “Susie” Bailey.

John is survived by his children, daughter, Kathy Seymour (Daniel) of Bumpass, VA; daughter, Karen Bailey-Jackson (Phillip) of Lakeway, TX; daughter, Wanda Bailey-Dieudonne (Nathan) of Falls Church, VA; daughter, Donna Tutt of Stafford, VA; son, John “Jack” Bailey, Jr. (Harylon) of Centreville, VA; daughter, Marlene Bailey-Timé (Odcene) of Centreville, VA; Grandchildren, Felicia Rosario (David), Leonard Alexander (Brittany), Brandon Friloux, Selena Alexander, Ashleigh Friloux, Shari’ Sanders (Janatry), Krystina Carter, Cameron Hughes, Jasmine Bailey, DaJon “DJ” Bailey, Jonathan Bailey (Amalia), Karah Evans (Devon), John Bailey, III, Ryan Dieudonne, Tristan Timé; Great-grandchildren, Rodney Banks, Erika Hamby, Carlos Lovelady, Amara Alexander, Antonio Alexander, Lena Marshall, Lea Henderson, Gabriel Friloux, Avery Bailey, Roman Bailey, Aria Sanders, Sarai Sanders, Elijah Sutcliffe; Great-great-grandchildren, Khloe Banks, Beau Hamby, Lila Alexander, Antonio Alexander, Jr.; Siblings, Joseph “Joe” Bailey (Lillian), Roshier Bailey (Mary), Helen Sanderson, Shirley King (Maurice), Geraldine Scott, Edna Brightful; and a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, aunts, and uncles.

A visitation for John will be held Saturday, December 9, 2023 from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM at Community Church of God, 2500 Gallows Road, Dunn Loring, VA 22027, followed by funeral services from 11:00 AM to 12:30 AM.